From Left to Right: Raku-chan, Koneko-chan and Hitoshi-san
"This has transcended being terrible to the point where it's become intensely fascinating and engrossing."
— YouTube comment on the first episode
Nyan~ Neko Sugar Girls is a YouTube-hosted Fanime series, which has gained a certain amount of infamy in some circles just for existing. The show chronicles the lives of Cat Girl Raku-chan, her best friend Koneko-chan, and her love interest, the blue-haired Hitoshi-san. Animated in MS Paint and supposedly voice acted by Japanese forum members, it's a confusing mishmash of Japanese Media Tropes and Gratuitous Japanese. Most episodes are but a few minutes long (including the theme songs), leaving little room for Plot or Character Development.
By around the third episode (and earlier, if you check the tags in the first video) it becomes apparent that NNSG is probably a Stealth Parody of Western Otaku culture, and many viewers consider the creators to be Trolls of Tara Gilesbie proportions. However, the creators do have a trove of Concept Art and character designs that implies that this was a sincere project at some point in its inception.
On April 12th 2020, a 5 minute animation was released on the official channel featuring the characters in an informational PSA on staying safe during the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, with all of the original cast reprising their roles. Although the animation quality is very much updated and improved with new modern software, the shitty art quality and awful voice acting are pretty much exactly as they left it in 2012.
You can watch the entire series on this playlist, and several episodes have also been uploaded to Nico Nico Douga for added MSTing fun. If you don't feel like you can face it alone, there is a "Let's Watch!" of the series here. The creator has a DeviantArt here.
Compare and contrast to Tsuki Desu, Large Bagel, Acedemy Sugoi Seiun, and Tokyo Crystal Mew.
Tropes that Nyan~ Neko Sugar Girls provides an example of:
- Ascended Meme: Koneko says she thought the kidnapper's name was Geoff, which was a Fan Nickname created by a group of MSTers.
- All There in the Manual: Until Episode 10, Hitoshi's would-be rapist goes by Kidnapper-kun, if the YouTube tags are to be taken seriously.
- Amusing Injuries: Most of the injuries faced by characters are hilarious due to their over the top reactions, such as Raku-chan getting bit by a squirrel and her later falling flat on her face in episode 6.
- Angrish: Raku-chan breaks into ridiculously loud and long screams when she is bitten by the squirrel.
- Animation Bump: The animation and art for the scene in the park features decent shading, smooth(er) animation and a sharp decline in off model moments.
- Animesque: All of the character designs are clearly inspired by anime. Also notable for using many, many Japanese Media Tropes and Japanese Honorifics to go along with it.
- Anime Theme Song: The intro theme is the bubbly J-Pop variety ("TRUE ♥ LOVE" by jun ft. Schanita), being ripped straight from DanceDanceRevolution. Literally, ripped straight from a gameplay video, not even clean audio or anything, given that it includes the applause and announcer from the game. "YOU'RE NOT AN ORDINARY FELLA"
- Art Evolution: It's hard to tell due to the constant Off-Model nature of everything, but the art has changed in the time from the first episode to episode 9. In episode 10 the art and animation is slightly better by the show's standards.
- Art Shift: The intro theme uses the older DeviantArt concept art of the characters when giving their names. They actually look decent, compared to how they look animated.
- Artistic License – Biology: The squirrel that bites Raku-chan has fangs like a vampire. Also, rabies isn't just a sickness that you get progressively weaker from. Either way it works out in the show's favor, since Raku isn't actually sick with rabies; she's possessed by a Bakeneko.
- Aside Glance: All the characters look at the viewer in annoyance in the finale after Kidnapper-kun's real name is revealed:Koneko-chan: Oh! I thought his name was Geoff!(Record scratch)(Everyone looks at the camera unamused)
- Attempted Rape: In Episodes 2 and 3, Hitoshi's kidnapper takes him away to his "secret place" so they can "have some fun". Luckily, this attempt is thwarted by Raku and Koneko.
- Beach Episode: Episode 1.5 has the protagonists going out to a swimming pool.
- Big Damn Heroes: Raku-chan and Koneko-chan heroically show up and save Hitoshi-san from the kidnapper in episode 3, successfully foiling the kidnapper's plans to have his way with Hitoshi-san.
- Big "NO!": Hitoshi screams very loudly while he’s being kidnapped by the kidnapper.Hitoshi-san: "NOOOOOOOOO! Don't take me away to your secret place."
- Bland-Name Product: Koneko-chan and Hitoshi-san walk past a "24 Seven" convenience store in episode 6.
- Blatant Lies: The characters and the creators insist that they are actually Japanese, despite clearly being American and speaking broken Japanese.
- Book Ends: After the first episode, every episode starts with someone waking up, and most end with someone going to bed.
- Break the Cutie: The series breaks down the innocent Raku-chan. She goes from a kind and innocent girl to a broken mess after she catches rabies and love interest falls for someone else. It gets worse when she dies from a broken kokoro.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: In the opening credits, when the song speeds up, the intro comments "Oh, that's too fast", a shout out to its DDR origins.
- Breast Expansion: Raku-chan and Vet-sama's breasts are constantly changing size due to being Off-Model. Vet-sama's in particular are drawn progressively larger to a comical degree throughout her appearances.
- Camp Gay: Hitoshi-san's kidnapper has an exaggerated lisp, and has a high, feminine voice.
- Captain Obvious: Raku-chan points out the obvious in Episode 5's first line of dialog, "Oh, my phone is ringing nyan, desu!" despite it being obvious that the phone is ringing.
- Catchphrase: Hitoshi-san constantly ends his sentences with "Nya... rawr".
- Cat Girl: Raku-chan and Koneko-chan are the eponymous "Neko Sugar Girls", though they're never referred to as such, and the fact that they're catgirls is never actually mentioned until Raku-chan turns into a cat.
- Cerebus Syndrome: At first the show begins as some sort of Romantic Comedy style anime, but starting with the fourth episode it soon becomes dark once Raku-chan becomes infected with rabies. With no Snap Back or Status Quo to rely on, Raku-chan soon becomes weaker, before eventually running away due to feeling like a burden to her friends. After what appears to be a message from some sort of divine entity, Raku-chan transforms into a full cat. Eventually she is returned to her former self, however it appears she is still suffering from the effects of the rabies. Meanwhile, Hitoshi-san begins to see his captor everywhere. Episode 9 reveals that Raku-chan had a bakeneko demon inside of her, though it was taken out of her by Vet-sama.
- Cheeky Mouth: Hitoshi-san is drawn with his mouth on his cheek in the opening. He also sort of has a regular mouth. It's a little creepy.
- Christmas Episode: In between episodes 7 and 8, the series has what it describes as a "Kurisumasu Supesharu" in which the characters throw a Christmas party.
- Cliffhanger: Many of the episodes end in cliffhangers, such as when Raku-chan and Koneko-chan find out that Hitoshi-san is kidnapped at the end of episode 3 and decide to go save him.
- Continuity Nod:
- In episode 4, Raku is wearing the white underwear she bought in episode 2.
- And in episode 5, Koneko is wearing the pink underwear from episode 2.
- Cover Version: The channel has released multiple song covers sung by the characters, such as a cover of "Hips Don't Lie" sung by Hitoshi-san.
- A Day in the Limelight: The video where Bokutachi-kun covers "Mask" by Dream gives a lot of focus on Bokutachi-kun's origins and insecurities.
- Death by Despair: Raku-chan dies of a broken heart in the finale because she is so upset that Hitoshi-san rejected her advances to be with his kidnapper.
- Deliberately Monochrome: A flashback to the Squirrel Biting incident in episode 7 is in black and white to show it is a flashback.
- Demonic Possession: In episode 9, it is revealed that rather than actually having rabies, Raku-chan is has instead been possessed by a bakeneko.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: The ending theme is sung by Raku-chan's voice actor, and seems to be from her perspective. Likewise, the final ending theme is done by Koneko-chan in Raku's place.
- Drama Bomb Finale: Hitoshi gets together with his kidnapper, and Raku-chan straight up dies at the end. Note that the former causes the latter.
- Evolving Credits: In the sense that it only evolved after the series ended. The credits image updates to cross out Raku after she dies, which is about the only big change that happens.
- Eye Pop: In the credits, Hitoshi-san's eyes are popping out when he sees Raku-chan and Koneko-chan's panties.
- Eyes Out of Sight: The hair of Hitoshi's kidnapper covers his eyes. The only time he's ever seen without his eyes hidden is during Hitoshi's Imagine Spot.
- Fan Sequel: Nyan~ Neko Sugar Girls: Mayonaka. On the original upload, Yoli-chan left a comment showcasing her approval.
- Flag Drop: When Hitoshi-san gives a speech to his kidnapper about how he deserves freedom, the American flag appears in the background and the national anthem starts playing.
- Flashback: Used in episode 7 after Raku is changed into a full cat, recalling the squirrel bite of episode 4.Koneko-chan: "Do you think it might have been the rabies?"
- Foreshadowing: Hitoshi-san's repeated daydreams about his kidnapper foreshadow him choosing Bokutachi over Raku in the finale.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: In episode 10, pause around the 12:24 mark and you'll see everyone going bald and the lower half of the girls' clothes are missing!
- Furry Confusion: When Raku-chan, a Cat Girl, goes to the vet in episode five, there are a cat and a dog on a chair next to her.
- Given Name Reveal: The finale reveals Hitoshi's kidnapper is named Bokutachi. Koneko thought his name was Geoff.
- Gratuitous Japanese: The characters liberally replace English words with the Japanese equivalent, or entirely random Japanese, mid-sentence. In-universe text and signs also get in on it; for example, the girls visit "The Kawaii Underwear-chan Store" early on in the series.
- Gratuitous Spanish: As the series goes on, Koneko begins to pepper her sentences with random Spanish words as well as the Japanese that most everyone else uses. She specifically calls a backpack a "mochila" when placing a transformed Raku in it to carry and drops the surprisingly vulgar phrase "pinche carbon" (roughly the same in meaning as "asshole") in the finale.
- Halloween Cosplay: In the Christmas Special, Squeaker-chan is Cosplaying as Miku Hatsune.
- Imagine Spot: In the 4th episode Hitoshi imagines his attempted rapist in leather pants with a clear, large bulge, while *NSYNC's "I Want You Back" plays in the background. He has another daydream in the fifth episode, still about his kidnapper.
- Large Ham: Hitoshi-san is extremely hammy and over-the-top. He constantly sounds like a Smug Snake, despite that type of voice sounding inappropriate for a Bishōnen like he supposedly is.
- Last Episode, New Character: The finale introduced four new characters — Raku-chan's college buddies, who pop up to see her after reading she's sick from "rabies" on Facebook.
- Last-Second Word Swap: Hitoshi initially claims that they are in America during a speech to his kidnapper, before quickly switching to saying Japan.Hitoshi: I'm not even supposed to be here! [The Star Spangled Banner begins to play] You have no right to hold me captive! There's freedom in this country, this is Americ— Japan!
- Limited Wardrobe: Aside from the time that Raku, Hitoshi and Koneko went swimming, they only seem to wear the same set of clothes.
- Love Confession: Raku-chan decides to confess her feelings to Hitoshi-san in the finale. It does not end well for her.
- Male Gaze: When Raku-chan and Hitoshi-san first meet, it looks like Hitoshi-san is looking down at her breasts.
- Marshmallow Hell: Raku-chan's breasts completely envelop her squirrel friend when she picks it up in episode 4. This prompts it to bite her.
- A Match Made in Stockholm: After getting kidnapped, Hitoshi has sexual fantasies about his kidnapper and begins to see him everywhere. By the finale they've voluntarily become a couple, something that kickstarts Raku-chan's death by broken kokoro.
- Miko: Vet-sama is revealed to be a Miko who can use her spiritual powers to heal Raku-chan.
- Minimalist Cast: The show has only 9 characters. 3 of them are main characters, and 2 of them are recurring characters. There's 10 characters if you count Dolce-chan, who was a scrapped character.
- Minor Injury Overreaction: Raku-chan in the fourth episode, upon being bitten by a squirrel, screams for about 40 seconds.
- Moment Killer: In episode 5, Raku seems about to tell Hitoshi her feelings, but then Koneko interrupts with Mochi ice cream and green tea.
- Mood Whiplash: The finale kept on going up and down with the mood, with one moment Raku nearly dying and the next we get happy montages.
- MST: The Let's Watch! series by Failsafe Productions is an MST that reacts to and comments on the series.
- Naughty Nurse Outfit: Vet-sama wears an extremely revealing nurse outfit that shows off her breasts and legs.
- New Powers as the Plot Demands: Vet-sama being a Miko comes completely out of left field, and conveniently allows her to help cure Raku-chan.
- No Name Given: The kidnapper (until the final episode), so the MST series decided to call him Geoff.Raku-chan: I hope you and...?Hitoshi-san: Oh, his name is Bokutachi-san.Koneko-chan: Oh, I thought his name was Geoff.Bokutachi-san: Where'd you get Geoff from?
- Nose Bleed: Upon meeting Hitoshi-san for the first time, Raku-chan's nose began to bleed out of arousal.
- "Not If They Enjoyed It" Rationalization: Even though Bokutachi-san kidnapped Hitoshi-san and attempted to rape him, he was eventually forgiven just because Hitoshi secretly wanted it.
- Offscreen Romance: in the last episode after Raku-chan tries to confess to Hitoshi-san we find out that he and his kidnapper became a couple without us even seeing how it happened.
- Older Than They Look: Raku-chan seems like a teenager, probably one who's recently moved out considering she rooms with Koneko-chan, but the finale shows she's a college graduate.
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: The voice actors try to use these weird, faux Japanese accents. And fail at them.
- Overly Long Gag: Raku-chan screams for a ridiculously long time after being bitten by the squirrel in the fourth episode. When she seems to be done, she starts screaming again even louder.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Hitoshi-san is very masculine, but he wears pink swimming trunks in episode 6.
- Rape as Comedy: While Bokutachi-san's attempted rape of Hitoshi-san is seemingly played for drama, it ends up being a very comedic scene.
- Rape as Drama: In the second and third episodes, the plot revolves around Hitoshi being kidnapped by a potential rapist. Raku and Koneko then go on to save him.
- Series Continuity Error: In episode 5, Raku-chan is clearly wearing just a bra when she begins talking to Koneko-chan on the phone, but after the shot switches to Koneko-chan, she is immediately in her blue shirt.
- Shout-Out:
- Both Clerks and Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series seems to get an inexplicable one in Episode 3.
- In Episode 6 Koneko-chan says that Raku-chan is gone, Gone with the Wind.
- Hitoshi outright mentions The Nanny, of all things, in Episode 9.
- Shrinking Violet: Raku-chan is so terribly shy that when she first meets Hitoshi-san she gets a brain aneurysm that results in a massive fountain of blood gushing from her nose.
- Slasher Smile: Hitoshi-san's kidnapper in episode 3 sports a wide, deranged grin as he explains his intentions towards Hitoshi.
- Slippery Swimsuit: Hitoshi-san loses his pink swim trunks in Episode 8.
- Soap Opera Disease: Raku-chan gets rabies from her squirrel bite.
- Sorry, I'm Gay: When Raku-chan confesses her love to Hitoshi in the finale, he admits that he is gay and in a relationship with Bokutachi-san in the finale, leading to Raku-chan dying of heartbreak.
- Stealth Pun: "Raku"-chan has rather large breasts, large rack if you will.
- Sudden Downer Ending: The finale ends with Raku confessing to Hitoshi, only to find out he's dating his kidnapper, Bokutachi-san. Raku dies of a "broken kokoro" and the final screenshot is Hitoshi's mortified face.
- Trademark Favorite Food:
- Mochi ice cream and green tea make up most of what the main characters eat in screen, other than the punch in the Christmas Special.
- Episode 2 begins with Hitoshi-san sitting down to his favorite breakfast: Pocky and Ramune.
- Useless Protagonist: Hitoshi looks to made out to be the Papa Wolf to Koneko and Raku, but as soon as episode two starts he is kidnapped without any trouble and has to be saved by Koneko and Raku in episode 3. Later on, he mostly fails to do anything useful after Raku has contracted rabies/been possessed, and ultimately, he is responsible for her untimely death.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight:
- The eponymous Neko Sugar Girls themselves are apparently nothing out of the ordinary for this world, even though most of the people seen in the series don't have cat ears or tails like them. Nobody really comments on it either.
- Hitoshi barely even questions Raku turning into a cat again in episode 9, even greeting her normally when he runs into her.
- Verbal Tic: Raku-chan constantly uses the verbal tics of "Nyaa~" and "Desuuuu", inserting them at the end of most of her sentences.
- What the Hell Is That Accent?: Koneko-chan's voice actress' - and by extension Koneko-chan herself - attempt at a (presumably) Japanese accent ends up sounding more like a stereotypical Spanish one; possibly Lampshaded with Koneko-chan exclaiming "Pinche cabron!" note in Episode 10 and peppering other random Spanish words into her sentences along with Japanese.
- Wingding Eyes: Raku-Chan gets the **spiral eyes** when she gets a nosebleed as seen in Episode 1.
- The Woobie: In-universe; in the fourth episode, Raku-chan intentionally tries to pass herself off as one to Hitoshi-san and Koneko-chan, in order to win even more affection from them both.
- You Meddling Kids: The kidnapper says a variation of this after Koneko-chan and Raku-chan save Hitoshi-san from him.Kidnapper: "I would have had my way with him if not for those meddling kodomos!"
